Baskets and screen type systems are sometimes placed in storm water vaults in order to capture floating debris such as leaves and litter, and the like. However these screen systems can sometimes become obstructed by debris and not allow for much water to pass therethrough. When the flows are high and these screen systems can become obstructed, previously captured floatables can escape. For example, a backflow current problem can occur which can cause floating debris to be forced out of a screen system and into the vault and beyond. The backflow current problem can occur when the water flowing current within a screen system starts to flow in the opposite direction to the current flow entering into the screen system. The backflow current problem can cause a screen system to empty out of the screen system any previously captured floating debris and litter. As such, the backflow current problem can result in preventing any further collection of floating debris and litter.
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of prior art baffle box with storm water and floatables 40 flowing through the screen system 10. FIG. 2 is another top perspective view of the prior art baffle box 20 of FIG. 1 with a backed up screen system 10. Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a screen system 10 includes a baffle box 20 that is intended to remove floatables from the incoming storm water 100 that has floatables 30, such as debris, and litter, mixed in with storm water having debris 40. The storm water with debris 40 passes through inflow pipe 50, where the storm water 60 carry's floatables into the screen system 10, where the floatables 70 filtered by the screen system 10 are accumulated for later removal. The filtered storm water 80 flows out from the outflow pipe 90 of the system 10. Storm water flow 100 into the screen system 10 is diminished by the backup of floatables 30 into the system 10.
Referring to FIGS. 1-2, storm water flow into screen system diminished by backup 100 of floatables in the system 10. The incoming storm water 40 encounters the backup of floatables 100 where turbulence 130 in the screen system 10 agitates previously captured floatables 70 which can flow up and backwards 110 toward the front of the screen system 10. The backflow 120 from the screen system 10 then flows around the sides of the system 10 towards the outflow pipe 90 carrying previously captured floatables 160 out of the baffle box 20. Storm water outflow 150 from the baffle box's 20 then carry's previously captured floatables out of the system 10. The screen system 10 becomes compromised 140 by the backup 100/250 of floatables in the system 10.
Referring to FIGS. 1-2, most of the storm water will not flow through the screen system 10. Turbulence caused by storm water flowing into the backed up screen system 10 agitates the previously collected floatables 160 causing them to escape from the screen system 10 and flow out of the box 20.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.